BRANDS AS CULTURE: DESIGNING EXPERIENCES FOR RESONANCE

In today’s landscape, brands are more than what they sell - they are what they stand for and the most memorable brands design beyond campaigns and content to create experiences that become part of people’s lives. These experiences don’t just drive awareness [or sales]; they build culture, embedding brands into the way people connect, celebrate, and express themselves.

EXPERIENCES BUILD CULTURE

Culture doesn’t just live in language or symbols — it’s formed by the experiences people share. When brands design experiences that move beyond transaction and into emotion, they help create the rituals, references, and moments that people carry into their everyday lives. Each activation becomes a cultural marker that deepens belonging and connection.

CULTURAL RELEVANCE IN DESIGN

Designing brand experiences today requires more than aesthetics or functionality alone. It means tuning into the values, conversations, and cultural currents that shape how people see the world and what they value. Cultural relevance in design is about aligning with these rhythms - ensuring that what a brand creates resonates with meaning, not just the message.

BRANDS AS CULTURE MAKERS

In an attention-starved landscape, brands are increasingly expected to play the role of culture makers. Designing and crafting experiences that connect people to ideas, values, and one another. Consumers seek meaning beyond products alone, aligning with brands that reflect their values and identity.

Relevant brands no longer simply participate in culture; they actively shape it. Through the experiences they craft, brands set the tone for how communities gather, how stories are told, and how meaning is exchanged. The most impactful and successful brands understand this responsibility - using their platforms and resources to create experiences that don’t just reflect culture, but move it forward.

Culture making requires authenticity - aligning actions with values, conducting deep research into audience beliefs and behaviours, and crafting narratives that reflect shared aspirations.

DESIGNING FOR SHARED CULTURAL RELEVANCE

The ultimate test of a brand experience is whether it feels shared. When people see themselves and their values reflected in an activation, they become co-authors of the cultural story the brand is telling. Shared cultural relevance is about designing experiences that invite participation, spark conversation, and allow communities to claim ownership of the moment.

This means designing around collective values, interests, and identities. By drawing on culture brands gain deeper meaning and authenticity.

We believe design is at the heart of great experiences. With the next generation of experience design is available to brands and organisations now the opportunity is to deliver pioneering experiences – we see a focus on people, impact, outcomes and performance. The future of experiences will be shaped by insights, data, inclusivity, collaboration, creative technologies, art, science and strategic design thinking.

If you’d like to know more about the importance of designing for impact and connection, continue reading B&T’s piece from our conversation here: ( Designing For Impact )